Zipper kit



E. J. VOIT July 22, 1969 ZIPPER KIT 2 Sheets--Sheef l Filed Sept. 9.1966 F/GI 3 INVENTOR. EDWARD J. VOIT 441 w dww w ATTORNEYS E. J. VOITZIPPER KIT July 22, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 9, 1966 INVENTOR.EDWRD J. VOIT ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,456,305 ZIPPER KITEdward J. Voit, 141 Bellmore Road, East Meadow, N. 11554Continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 556,350, June 9, 1966. Thisapplication Sept. 9, 1966, Ser.

Int. Cl. A44b 19/34 U.S. Cl. 24-205.11 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A slide fastener wherein an end stop is formed by folding andadhesively securing the tape ends at an angle. The tapes also include anadhesive release tape positioned along the fastener tape. When therelease tape is peeled off, the adhesive is left on the fastener tapesto be used for attaching to clothing.

This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser.No. 556,350 filed June 9, 1966, now abandoned.

This invention relates generally to a zipper kit whereby zippers of asingle length or a plurality of lengths may be prepackaged with suitableadhering material in order that the consumer may utilize a selectedzipper and the adhering material to fabricate a zipper of substantiallyany required length. The invention is further directed to theutilization of adhering material supplied in the form of transfer tapewhereby the adhering material may be utilized to baste or temporarilyattach the zipper to the garment to simplify the installation of zippersin garments or other types of articles having zipper closures. Theinvention is also directed to an arrangement for shortening aprefabricated zipper without the 'use of special tools or equipment.

One of the largest groups of zipper users is the consumer who purchasezippers from variety and department stores for use as replacements andfor garments made at home. The latter use is ever increasing as a resultof the increasing variety of patterns available for the home seamstressas well as a substantial increase in the market of moderate price sewingmachines of good quality. Many garments require a zipper closure andthus variety and department stores generally stock zippers of variouslengths. The length of a zipper installed in a garment must be properlyselected in accordance with the construction of the garment in order forit to operate properly. Thus, the home seamstress usually must purchasethe exact size zipper required for each applcationthereby making itsubstantially impracticable to keep on hand a small stock of zipperssince it is generally impossible to.

predict in advance the length of zipper that may be required.

While a substantial number of zippers are purchased by the homeseamstress, the installation of same has always been considereddiflicult due to the accuracy required in initial placement and bastingof the zipper pror to the final sewng operation.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a zipper kitwhich will include zippers having lengths at least as great as theanticipated need together with means for shortening the zipper to thelength required for any particular application.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for shortening aprefabricated zipper without -the use of special tools or equipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for temporarilyadhering a zipper to a garment for the ice final stitching operationthereby eliminating the baste stitch operation.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part beobvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

Generally speaking, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention,one or more zippers are prepackaged in a kit with a zipper tape adheringmaterial. The zippers are intentionally longer or as long as therequired length for expected applications with various length rangesbeing made available in various kits. The zipper tape adhering materialmay be in the form of a pressure Sensitive or heat Sensitive tape or anadhesive to Secure the zipper tape in a folded position to therebyshorten the effective length of the zipper and provide a slder stop atthe upper end thereof. The zipper tape adhering material may also be in-the form of transfer tape which may be used to transfer a length ofadhesive to each of the zipper tapes by which the zipper may betemporarily adhered to the garment for the final Stitching operation.

The invention accordingly comprses -the features of construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which Will beexenplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe invention Will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to thefollowing description taken in connection With the accompanying drawing,in which:

FIG. l is a perspective view of a zipper kit packaging several zipperstogether with zipper tape adhering material;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a zipper longer than required for a partieularapplication being trimmed to size;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the rear side of a trimmed zipper with zippertape adhering material applied to the zipper tape proximate to the upperend thereof;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the zipper of FIG. 3 with the upperends of the zipper tape folded and adhered to form a zipper of desiredlength;

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view, at enlarged scale, of a portion of zippertape fabricated to form a slde stop;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the front side of a zipper with transfer tapeadhered to the zipper tapes;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partial plan view ofthe front side of the zipper of FIG. 6with the release paper of the transfer tape removed and with the zippershortened in accordance with the teachings of the invention; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a roll of transfer tape.

Referring to FIG. 1, a kit 11 consists of a package including aplurality of zippers 12 and zipper tape adhering material 13. Zippers 12may be of the same length or various lengths with the length being aslong as or longer than required for the expected use. For example, thekit may contain two jacket zippers 23 long, two dress zippers 22 longand two skirt or slack zippers 10 long of any suitable material whichwill adhere the zipper tape in folded over position as will also behereafter described. The zipper tape adhering material may, for example,take the form of a double sided pressure Sensitive tape, a heat sealablevinyl tape, a transfer tape or a spreadable adhesive.

Referring to FIGS. 2 through 5, a typical zipper 12 is shown consistingof tape sections 14, teeth 15, a bottom stop 16, top stops 17 and aslider 18.

Assuming, by way of example, that zipper 12 is a dress zipper having alength of 22 and a dress zipper having a length of only 14 is required,the top portion of the zipper will be cut off by the seamstress usingscissors 19.

l The zipper Would be cut to a length of 14 /z to provide a fold over of/2 on each tape for formation of the top stops to replace top stops 17which were discarded when the top half of the zipper Was cut off.

Referring to FIG. 3, zipper tape adhering material 13 is applied to therear of each tape section for the length of the tape over and above itsrequired length. In the particular example, the zipper Was cut /2 longerthan required and thus the zipper tape adhering material is applied toeach tape section for a length of /2.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the extra half nch of each tape section isfolded on itself as at 21 to thereby form a zipper of required length.As shown in FIG. 5, the tape is folded at a slight angle from itslongitudinal axis to prevent overlap of teeth to prevent undue bulkinessand interference with the sliding action of slider 18 at the top end ofthe zipper. When folded over, the tape is adhered to itself by thezipper tape adhering material and the additional portion 22 of the tapeextending beyond the normal edge of the tape resultant from the angle offold is trimmed fiush With the edge of the tape.

If double sided pressure Sensitive tape which may be in the form oftransfer tape, is used as the zipper tape adhering material, it is onlynecessary for the seamstress to press the folded over tape section tothe main tape section to form the completed zipper. If heat sensitivevinyl tape is used, an iron will rapidly adhere the folded over tapesection to the main tape section. If a spreadable adhesive is used, thetape sections will be held in contact until the adhesive sets up. Anyother suitable means could likewise be used to secure the folded overtape section to the main tape section.

By folding over a section of the tape and adhering it to the main tapesection the zipper is not only shortened to the desired length, but thefolded edge 23 forms a stop for the slider at the upper end of thezipper. The zipper may thereafter be sewn into the garment along sewingline 24.

The above described technique envisions the shortening of a zipper inaccordance with the length requirements of a particular applicationwhereafter the zipper is installed in a garment in the usual manner.This requires the zipper to be carefully and accurately placed in thegarment whereafter the zipper tape is baste stitched, usually bymachine. As might be imagined, great accuracy and skill is required toproperly align and hold the zipper during the baste Stitching operation.Thereafter, the zipper is finally stitched in place. The utilization ofthe zipper tape adhering material for shortening of the zipper can beused for the dual purpose of also adhering the zipper to the garmentprior to the final Stitching operation thereby completely eliminatingthe baste stitch operation. A substantial and unexpected result isobtained since the skill in installing zippers resides not so much inproper placement of the zipper but in holding it in place while bastingtakes place. By eliminating the basting, the seamstress need onlyproperly position the zipper whereby it is held in place by the adheringmaterial for the final Stitching operation. With such technique, zippersmay be accurately and professionally installed by the amateurseamstress.

The foregoing technique is best understood in connection with FIGS. 6through 9. FIG. 9 shows a roll of transfer tape 31 Which consists of abacking or release paper 32 and a layer of adhesive material 33. Notethat the Width of the adhesive material is greater than that of therelease paper for a purpose to be hereafter described. Transfer tapeoperates as follows. When a section of transfer tape is cut from roll 31and the exposed side of adhesive material 33 is applied to substantiallyany surface, it adheres thereto in pressure sensitive fashion. Ongrippiug of the release paper, it may be stripped from the adhesivematerial thereby leaving the adhesive material deposited on the surfaceand exposing the theretofore concealed surface of adhesive materialwhereby an additional adhering function may be performed by the exposedadhesive material.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a length of transfer tape 31 is cut andplaced over each tape section 14 with the adhesive material 33 incontact with the front side of the tape section. If desired, the zipperssupplied in the zipper kit may have the transfer tape adhered thereto asshown in FIG. 6 or, the transfer tape may be supplied in the kit orseparately as a roll such as that shown in FIG. 9.

As best shown in FIG. 7, release paper 32 is as wide or wider than thezipper tape section which it overlies while the adhesive material 33 issubstantially narrower. This permits the edge of the release paper to bealigned with the teeth portion 15 of the zipper thus assuring that theadhesive material will be spaced outwardly from the teeth to preventinterference therewith. To use the zipper of FIGS. 6 and 7, theseamstress grasps and strips the release paper thereby exposing theadhesive material on the front side of the zipper -tape. The zipper iscarefully placed on the garment and, with slight pressure, the zipperadheres to the garment through the adhesive material thereby, in effect,basting the zipper to the garment. The seamstress need merely executethe final sewing operation to complete the installation.

The application of the adhesive material through the transfer tape alsoprovides for the zipper shortening technique described above. As shownin FIG. 8, once the transfer tape has been applied to the zipper tapeand the release paper stripped away, the adhesive material 33 isexposed. In order to shorten the zipper, prior Ito installation thereofin the garment, the seamstress need merely fold over the excess portion,preferably at the top of the zipper, to form a fold along asubstantially 45 line 34 whereby the longitudinal axis of the foldedportion will be substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofthe unfolded portion. The outer end is thus trimmed as indicated at trimline 35. When the top portion of each tape is folded over, theconfronting faces having the adhesive material thereon adhere the tapein folded over position. Thereafter, the zipper is placed in the garmentand basted by the remaining exposed portion of adhesive material. Thefinal Sewing operation locks the folded over portion of the zipper inplace -to effect a permanent shortening thereof. As described above, thefolding of the tape provides for the top stops which are otherwiseremoved when the top of the zipper is cut oif.

The zippers depicted in the drawings show both the standard metal teethand the newer type of nylon coils and it is to be understood 'that theinvention described herein is not limited to any particular type orconstruction of zipper, with the shortening and basting technique beingequally suitable for zippers having metal teeth as well as those havingnylon coils.

With the foregoing technique, a new article of commerce is created inthe form of a zipper kit assembled as a unit to provide zippers ofsubstantially every length for substantially every application. Byproviding zippers of various types of relatively long length togetherWith an adhering material, the consumer has available an almost infinitevariety of zipper lengths since the ultimate length of the zipper sewninto the garment is under the control of the consumer. With thetechnique, the seamstress can also speedily and accurately install thezippers supplied with the least possible difficulty while concurrentlyshortening the zipper if shortening is required on any particularapplication.

It will thus be seen `that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description, are efiiciently attained and,since certain changes may be made in the above construction withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting Sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of shortening a zipper having longitudinal zipper tapescomprsing the steps of severing the -top portion of the zipper tapes toleave a zipper having a length slightly longer than the require length,said eXcess length defining a foldable portion of zipper tape material,applying a zipper tape adhering material to one side of each zippertape, folding said foldable portion at an angle to the longitudinal aXisof the zipper tape from which the foldable portion extends and adheringsaid foldable portion to said zipper tape.

2. The method defined in claim 1 and further including the step oftrimming each foldable portion Substantially flush with the outside edgeof the zipper tape to which it is adhered.

3. A method of shortening a zipper having longitudinal zipper tapes andadhering same to a garment comprising the steps of applying a transfertape to the front face of each zipper tape along a substantial portionof the length thereof, said transfer tape including a release paper andan adhesive material to thereby deposit adhesive material on the zippertapes, foldng the top portion of each zipper tape at an angle to thelongitudinal aXiS thereof to thereby shorten the zipper, and placing thezipper in a garment with the front face of said zipper tapes and theadhesive material in contact with the garment.

4. A zipper comprising a first zipper tape, a second zipper tape, abottom stop joining said zipper tapes along abutting edges, zipper teethextending from each abutting edge for the entire length of said zippertapes from said bottom stop, a slider adapted to control meshing of saidteeth, and top stops at the upper end of said zipper tape, each top stopcomprising a portion of zipper tape folded on itself at an angle to thelongitudinal axis of the zipper tape, and zipper tape adhering materialsecuring said portion in folded position.

5. A method of adhering to a garment a zipper having longitudinal zippertapes and zipper teeth extending from abutting edges of said zippertapes, comprising the steps of locating one edge of a length of releasetape adjacent each line of zipper teeth With the release tape overlyingthe zipper tape from which the respective teeth eXtend and with adhesivematerial on the release tape facing the zipper tape front face, saidadhesive material being spaced from said one edge to define a portion ofrelease tape overlying said zipper tape adjacent zipper teeth which isfree of adhesive material, pressing said release tape onto said zippertapes to effect adherence of said adhesive material to said zippertapes, stripping said release tape from said zipper tapes to leasedeposited on said zipper tapes a quantity of adhesive material which,throughout its length, is spaced from the zipper teeth, placing thefront face of the zipper in contact with a garment, and applyingpressure to the rear face of the zipper to adhere the zipper to thegarment.

6. As a new article of Commerce, a zipper having longitudinal zippertapes and zipper teeth extending from abutting edges of said zippertapes, and a length of zipper adhering tape overlying each of saidzipper tapes for adhering said zipper to a garment, each said length ofzipper adhering tape comprising a release paper having first and secondlongitudinal edges, said first longitudinal edge located adjacent saidzipper teeth, and an adhesive material on the surface of said releasepaper overlying said zipper tape, said adhesive material extendinglongitudinally of said release paper and having first and secondlongitudinal edges, sand first and second longitudinal edges of saidadhesive material being spaced from said first longitudinal edge of saidrelease paper whereby to define an area of said release paper free ofadhesive material adjacent said zipper teeth, said release paper beingstripable from said adhesive material to leave said adhesive materialadhered to said zipper tape and exposed for adhering said zipper to agarment 'when said release paper is stripped from the zipper tape.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,109,583 3/1938 Bennett 154-432,141,006 12/1938 Marinsky 24-205.11 X 2,681,731 6/ 1954 Chambers 206-472,683,264 7/1954 Roseman 24-205 X 2,768,922 10/1956 Klein 24-205.16 X3,008,5l1 11/1961 Levine'.

3,136,4l2 6/1964 Karosen 206-47 X 3,325,826 6/1967 Ryan 206-47 X2,193,833 3/1940 Morin 24-205.l1

FOREIGN PATENTS 578,900 7/ 1946 Great Britain.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. XR. 2-265; 24-205.16;112-265; 156-66; 206-47

